Sarah with her new boss.
What motivated you to get involved in YOKE?
I got involved with YOKE as a middle school student when a friend invited me to go. I loved both club and camp, and I knew that I wanted to be a YOKE Folk when I grew up. I began to serve with YOKE because my life was impacted and shaped through the program and I want to be able to walk alongside middle school students just like my YOKE Folk did for me.
Do you have a favorite memory from your time in YOKE?
My favorite memory as a kid was winning the chug championship as an 8th grader at spring Super Hero camp. I remember my small club cheering me on. That camp moment as a student was definitely my favorite memory.
What have you learned from your time with YOKE?
I would say one thing I have learned through YOKE is that God has a plan for everything. I never understood the tough times that I went through in middle school and I remember questioning why God would allow certain things to happen in my life. Now, as a YOKE Folk, I’ve had the opportunity to help multiple girls going through situations just like I went through. I think God put me in those situations to be able to encourage and mentor my YOKE kids, to walk alongside them in difficult times just like my YOKE Folk did for me.
So what’s this about Disney?
I was recently accepted into the Disney College Program in Orlando, Florida. I applied on January 22nd, but didn’t hear anything for a while. During that time, I tried to lean on God and trust in Him. On Feb 26th, I finally got word that I had been accepted. This is a very competitive program and many people will apply several times before being accepted. I am super blessed to have been accepted on my first try.
I will be moving to Orlando for 8 months on May 15th. I will be working at Disney and also taking different courses to help me in my career. There are numerous ones to choose from, but I hope to get into the ones that have to do with leadership and event planning. My life-long goal has been to become a teacher and this program will really help prepare me for that, but I am open if God has other plans. This will essentially be my new mission field for the next 8 months and I am already preparing myself for the opportunity. I will be living in a large apartment complex with 5 other Disney College Program participants near Disney World.
I am excited about this journey and can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for me. Please pray that I would continue to grow in my faith and that I would be able to find a good church home there. I’m excited to start this new chapter of my life, but I will certainly miss my YOKE family and I look forward to serving again when I come back to Knoxville.